Play Rough

by Eva Ashwood

  “What?” Rory shakes his head, his voice quiet. “Why the fuck would you do that?”

  “I didn’t!” Sloan snaps. He glares at me. “And she knows that.”

  “You pretended to,” I bite out.

  “Wait, wait.” Levi holds his hands up, his eyebrows pinched so tightly together that a little line has formed between them. “Explain. What the hell are you saying?”

  Speaking in a rush, I tell them the whole story of how I followed Sloan and saw him shoot my dad. I end with the most recent revelation that my father is actually alive, still struggling to wrap my head around it as I speak.

  “So for the last few weeks, I thought he was dead,” I finish. “I’ve been living with that shit, trying to fucking cope with it. And I didn’t know if you two knew or not.”

  I can tell from the expressions on their faces that they definitely didn’t. They both look pissed off, and Sloan actually looks a little uncomfortable.

  “How could you do that?” Levi demands, rounding on Sloan. “How could you hurt her like that?”

  He means me, and I’m surprised by the intensity of his tone. Surprised that he’s choosing my side over his friend’s.

  “And we’re supposed to be a fucking team,” Rory adds, anger turning his voice harder than I’ve ever heard it. “We don’t do shit like this behind each other’s backs. What the fuck, Sloan?”

  “I didn’t have a choice.” Sloan’s jaw clenches. “Oscar managed to get something useful for us, but then Hugh started getting suspicious.”

  I blink, taking in that name. Hugh. He must mean my uncle. There’s so much I still don’t know about that, and when I finally see my dad, he’s going to have some serious explaining to do, too.

  Levi and Rory don’t seem confused by Sloan’s words, so clearly they know who the guy is. He must be decently high up in the ranks of the Jackals for them to recognize him by name like that.

  “I convinced my father to let me protect Oscar.” Sloan glances at me for a second and then away. “I told Gavin if I pretended to kill Mercy’s dad, it would get Hugh off his back and keep him safe. It was the only way.”

  “That’s a pretty big risk, though,” Rory points out.

  Sloan nods. “Yeah, Dad was against doing it because he said it could get messy, but in the end, he agreed. But he insisted that it had to be a secret. From everyone.” He says that last part and shoots me a piercing look. “If someone leaked that Oscar was still alive, it would have been a fucking mess. I had to do my duty to my father and keep it secret.” He turns toward his friends. “Even from you two.”

  Some of the defensiveness in the other two drops as they take in his words. They understand how gang shit works, I guess, and this must be part of it. Rory puts a hand on my shoulder, keeping it respectable despite my toplessness, but clearly trying to offer me some comfort.

  “I’m not saying I agree with what Sloan did,” he says. “Because I think he should have found some way to tell you, but at least he was trying to help.”

  “He definitely should’ve found some way to tell you,” Levi says.

  “I didn’t know she knew.” Sloan’s lips curl back in a snarl. “I didn’t know she was sneaking around following us.”

  Rory snorts softly, because of course that revelation probably doesn’t surprise him. He was the first one I followed.

  “Okay.” Rory lets go of my shoulder and runs his hand over his jaw, shaking his head a little as if to clear it. “I think we all need to just take a step back and cool off. Maybe order some pizza or something. Mercy, you can find your clothes, and we’ll just chill out for a bit. Tension has been shitty high around here lately.”

  “No,” Sloan cuts in. “Not until she tells me what she did.”

  Levi frowns. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that since she snuck out and saw me shoot Oscar and thought it was real, she’s been fucking plotting against us.”

  It’s another bomb dropped into the room, and Levi and Rory keep getting caught on the wrong side of the fucking shrapnel. They look between the two of us for a second and then turn to me.

  “What did you do?” Levi asks, and I can’t even think about lying to him when he says it like that.

  My heart skips a beat, pounding sluggishly in my chest.

  They’re going to hate me. All of them.

  I always told myself I could live with Sloan hating me in the end because I hated him too, but the other two… that’s going to hurt. It was always going to hurt, but I was more willing to face it before, when I had the righteous anger on my side. Now it’s just me facing down the three of them, and the look of betrayal I can already see in Rory’s and Levi’s eyes makes me feel like I might vomit.

  “I have a contact in the Jackals,” I tell them, my voice hoarse. “I’ve been feeding him information. Shit I’ve picked up from listening to your conversations and going through your things. He knows about the money you’re moving around. About the big haul recently. And he knows where your accountant lives. Alex.”

  They all react to my words immediately, their faces going hard.

  “Fuck,” Sloan curses. “Goddammit.”

  “They’re going to raid his place.” Rory speaks in a low voice. “They’ll hit it as soon as they find out. It’s too good an opportunity to miss out on.”

  “Motherfucker. We have to get there. Now.”

  Sloan is still obviously pissed at me, but I can see him transitioning into battle mode, his mind jumping ahead several steps to deal with the problem in front of him. Without another word, he snatches my shirt up from the floor and flings it at me. I pull it on, half expecting him to tell me I’m confined to my room or something until they get back, and yeah. That would be fair considering what’s happened.

  But instead, he grabs my arm and drags me toward the door, not even giving me a second to protest.

  “You’re coming with us,” he snaps. He cuts his gaze at me, fury burning in his gray eyes. “I’m not letting you out of my fucking sight.”

  23

  Sloan shoves his gun back into his waistband, and there’s a mad dash where Levi and Rory go to get theirs and do the same. They thunder down the stairs, still dragging me behind them, and we all head out to Sloan’s car.

  He practically shoves me at Rory, who ushers me into the backseat quickly. I don’t even have time to buckle my seatbelt before Sloan peels out of the driveway, breaking the speed limit as we drive toward the accountant’s house.

  He grabs his phone and dials a number quickly, and it’s quiet enough in the car that we can all hear it ringing and ringing and ringing. No one answers.

  “Fuck,” he swears, tossing the phone back onto the center console. “Fuck!”

  “Should you tell Gavin?” Levi asks softly, and I can see Sloan’s face darken even more in the rearview mirror.

  Reluctantly, he nods and grabs his phone again, hitting a button and putting it up to his ear.

  “It’s me,” he says, so clearly he’s gotten an answer for this call. “There’s been a possible breach. At Alex’s place.” He’s quiet for a second, listening to whatever his dad is saying. I can’t hear anything other than Sloan’s part of the conversation. “Yeah, I know. I know. We need backup. Send whoever’s close.” A pause as he listens some more and then, “I don’t know yet. We’re heading there now.”

  It would be so easy for him to just spill to his dad that there was definitely a breach, how it happened, and who was responsible. But he doesn’t.

  He keeps it vague, nodding along to whatever his dad is saying on the other end. “Okay,” he says finally. “Sounds good.” Sloan hangs up and rubs a hand over his face. “He’s sending whoever’s nearby,” he explains to Levi and then glances back at Rory in the mirror. He doesn’t even look my way, and I can’t blame him.

  I still feel sick. The way the car is speeding and Sloan is taking turns at a breakneck pace doesn’t help, and I grip the arm rest on the door hard enough that my knuckles are white.<
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  Everything I’ve learned in the last hour or so keeps hitting me over and over again, like the information refuses to settle. My dad is alive. Sloan helped him. And I fucked them over.

  Someone might be in trouble because of me, and it’s a big enough deal that members of the Black Roses are mobilizing in force to help keep him out of the Jackals’ clutches.

  Even knowing that, there’s a part of me that still feels justified in what I did. I only acted on the information I had, and if Sloan wasn’t such a secretive, closed-mouthed, untrusting asshole, then none of this would be happening. I wouldn’t have had to go to the Jackals for revenge because I would have known what was going on. I maintain that it’s fair for me to want to get back at someone who I thought murdered my family.

  But at the same time, another part of me feels so, so fucking guilty.

  Whatever’s going on here, it seems like it’s really big. Clearly, I gave up something even more important than I realized. I just wanted them to have something, anything they could use against the Black Roses, but I never thought it would turn out like this.

  It seems to take forever for us to reach the accountant’s house. Sloan pulls up in front of the small bungalow, and as soon as he cuts the engine, the guys are getting out of the car.

  I open my door, stepping out to go with them, and Sloan whirls on me, anger still clear on his face. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he demands, walking toward me like he’s about to pick me up and put me back in the car himself if he has to.

  I stand my ground, glaring right back at him, ignoring the churning in my stomach. I’m not going to throw up here. Goddammit. I’m not.

  “I’m going with you,” I tell him, tone defiant.

  “The fuck you are,” he snaps. “Get back in the car.”

  “No. I fucked this up, and I’m going to try to help fix it.”

  Sloan pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes, and Levi and Rory exchange worried glances.

  “Mercy, it’s not safe,” Rory says.

  I can tell he and Levi don’t want me to come because they’re worried I’ll get hurt. Sloan doesn’t want me to come because he doesn’t trust me. And I get that. I can understand why he wouldn’t now.

  But we don’t have time to argue. There’s too much at stake.

  We stare at each other for another half second, and then Sloan whips back around, hand going to his gun. My heart stops for a beat, wondering if he’s going to shoot me instead of stuffing me back into the car—but then he’s marching toward the door.

  “Stay the fuck behind me,” he tosses over his shoulder.

  I hurry to do so, falling in line. Rory and Levi bring up the rear, and we make our way up the driveway to the house quickly. The door is busted in, standing open and hanging half off one hinge. There’s a muddy footprint right in the middle of it, like someone used their foot to literally kick it open.

  It makes that sour feeling in my stomach even worse, and my heart rate climbs again. It’s been such a rollercoaster of a day, going back and forth between emotional extremes, and this definitely isn’t helping.

  Whatever we’re about to find inside can’t be good.

  All three of the guys have their guns out and up, ready to take down anyone who might still be lurking in the house. We move through quietly, but it all seems empty. No sign of the accountant or any Jackals at all.

  I swallow hard, glancing around the house. It’s a nice place. Homey. Clearly this guy wasn’t totally on the up and up if he was laundering money for a gang, but he probably had a life outside of that. Maybe even a family.

  I can only hope that he wasn’t here when the Jackals showed up. Maybe he was out, and they burst in and got away without hurting him.

  Sloan nods silently in the direction of the kitchen and Rory peels off to check it out, gun raised. Levi moves to take the left side, peering down a hallway. It’s quiet but tense, and my heart is pounding so hard against my ribs that I’m pretty sure everyone else can hear it.

  “Clear,” Rory calls softly.

  Levi turns to give his own assessment, his gaze scanning the space as he holds his gun in a practiced grip. But before he can say anything, a door bursts open at the end of the hall, swinging wide and hitting the wall with a bang.

  I jump, my pulse skyrocketing. It looked like a closet at first, but as the door bounces off the wall and swings partway closed again, it shows off a small, hidden room.

  “Shit!” Levi gets his gun up, firing off a few quick shots into the room.

  It’s quiet for a beat, and then two tall, broad-shouldered men come running out. They’ve got guns raised, and they fire wildly at us as they dash toward what looks like a back door.

  Sloan yanks me farther behind him, making sure I’m not in the line of fire, and pops off three shots, tagging one of the guys in the shoulder. The guy swears harshly and stumbles as blood blooms through his shirt. Sloan releases his grip on me and sprints after them, ducking sideways when the guy he shot fires back over his shoulder again.

  The man weaves out of the way as they exchange fire, bumping into the wall and leaving a streak of blood behind. His friend yells something, shooting out the lock on the back door before kicking it open.

  Rory and Levi are right behind Sloan, and all three of them follow the two men out the back door. Several more gunshots pierce the air, and then there’s the sound of an engine revving and tires screeching.

  “Goddammit!” Rory curses loud enough for me to hear it from inside the house. “Motherfuckers! They’re gone.”

  A moment later, the three of them slip back into the house. Sloan looks even more furious than before, and Levi and Rory both seem on edge.

  “Let’s keep looking,” Levi grunts. “There could be more of them.”

  Rory nods, and we move as a unit toward the room the two men vacated, even more on our guards now.

  I can still hear the ring of gunfire in my head, and I’m jumpy. Every time one of them makes a floorboard creak, my shoulders jump up and my breath stills for a second, certain someone’s about to jump out and attack us.

  We make it to the back room without any other incidents, and when we step inside, I hold my breath as I look around. There are a few large bricks of cash on a table, a safe in one corner, and an overturned chair.

  That’s it.

  It’s clearly the room where the accountant did all of his work, and probably where they kept the cash hidden, but there’s almost nothing left to show for it. No computer, no notes, no accountant. It’s pretty easy to put the pieces together, and we all stand frozen, taking it in.

  No one seems to want to say what we all know is true, and the silence stretches on for a while.

  My palms are clammy, and I shiver despite the trickle of sweat working its way down my back. I can only hope that wherever the Jackals took this Alex guy, he’s okay. There aren’t any real signs of a violent struggle—or at least, there are no massive puddles of blood or anything to suggest Alex was shot in this room.

  But given the disorder in the room, I have a feeling Alex was home when the Jackals burst in. I’m worried about what this means for the Black Roses, but also what it means for the accountant himself.

  It’s such a fucked up web. Getting dragged this deep into gang business is just asking to get hurt, and I wish I’d never become a part of any of this shit. But it’s too late now. I’m in so far over my head that I can’t even see the light above the surface of the water anymore, and standing in this room, staring at the direct results of my fuck-up, I feel a heavy weight settle on my chest.

  The silence stretches on and on, getting uncomfortable. It’s hard to tell whether we stand in the empty room for a few minutes or an hour—I’ve lost all sense of time.

  Then, true to form, Sloan breaks the tension by making it worse. He kicks one of the few remaining bricks of cash, sending it flying into a wall. He doesn’t say anything, just stands there, breathing hard, gun in hand.

 
“They looted our fucking cash,” Levi breathes, dragging a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe it.”

  “They got Alex, too,” Rory adds, shaking his head. “Fucking assholes.”

  I don’t say anything. No one needs to hear from me, especially considering it’s my fault.

  Sloan’s dad will be sending people for backup, maybe even coming himself, and he’ll have something to say about all of this, I’m sure. It’s all such a mess, and I know there’s nothing I can do to fix it now.

  We stand there for another minute, as if somehow it will change what’s right in front of us, and then Sloan turns to leave.

  He grabs my arm on the way out, and Rory and Levi flank us both.

  24

  As we near the front door, the slamming of car doors outside puts me on alert for a second, my whole body tensing for a fight. I envision more Jackals pouring into the house and starting some kind of massive shoot-out.

  But it’s just the backup Gavin sent, all armed like they’re ready for war.

  They come blazing into the house, and Sloan meets them, stone-faced. “We were too late,” he says. “They got him. And most of the cash.”

  That goes over like a lead balloon, and there’s a lot more cursing from the guys who’ve made it inside the house.

  “What do we do now?” one of them asks, looking to Sloan to guide them. As the leader’s son, I guess it’s his job in a crisis like this.

  “Clear out the remaining cash,” Sloan instructs. “Wipe the place clean and then get out. I’ve gotta go talk to Gavin.”

  He sounds as grim as he looks when he says it.

  The men Gavin sent move quickly to follow Sloan’s orders, and he leaves them to it. He grabs me again, and the four of us head back to the car, piling in once more.

  The tension in the vehicle isn’t wound quite as tightly as it was on the drive to the accountant’s house, but that’s because the mood seems to have darkened. Everyone is quiet, probably all thinking about the ramifications of what’s happened. I twist my fingers in my lap, worry eating a hole in my gut.